JAN Molby will have seen many encouraging signs in his team's build up to their all-important second season as a Third Division side.

But he is surely still desperate to sort out Kidderminster Harriers' defensive lapses and vulnerability at set pieces after seeing them throw away in early lead against neighbours Birmingham City to lose for the first time in their pre-season warm up.

Despite promising performances from new and old faces, and the fact that the squad has considerably more strength in depth than this time last year, Molby knows frailty at the back could cost his side many points in the new season.

Last night's game saw Andy Ducros finish off an excellent move down the left by glancing his header past Blues' new goalkeeper Nico Vaesen as early as the fourth minute.

But dithering from otherwise dependable right-back Parfait Medou-Otye saw Birmingham's giant striker Geoff Horsfield - who scored at Aggborough to secure the Conference championship for Halifax in 1998 - round Stuart Brock and slot into the empty net to equalise on the half hour mark.

And battling Blues grabbed victory on the stroke of half time when defender Darren Purse stole into the area to head Nicky Eaden's free kick over Brock.

It could have been a different scoreline had Stewart Hadley connected better with his headers from good positions in both halves.

Rejuvenated Tony Bird also looked lively in the first half, firing an athletic scissor kick straight at Vaesen from 25 yards on 32 and forcing a diving save from the goalkeeper with a curling left foot shot after cutting in from the right five minutes later.

The second half was a quieter affair although Stan Lazaridis was a thorn in Harriers' side all game down the left, while Sam Shilton put in a similarly trick performance for Kidderminster on the opposite side of the pitch.

A crowd of 2,888 saw Harriers make five substitutions in the 65th minute, while Blues introduced a total of four.

Both teams had attempts at goal, with Kidderminster substitutes Ben Davies and Ian Foster looking menacing, as a competitive game wound down to its inevitable conclusion.

HARRIERS Brock 7, Medou-Otye 6 (Clarkson 65mins, 6) Stamps 7 (Joy 65mins, 7), Blake 8, Hinton 8, Smith 7 (Ayres 65 mins, 7), Bird 8, Williams 7 (Davies 65 mins, 7) Hadley 6, Ducros 6 (Foster 65 mins, 7) Shilton 8

BIRMINGHAM Vaesen, Gill (Luntala 74 mins), Burrows, Sonner, Purse (58 mins) Holdsworth, Eaden, Mooney, Horsfield (Marcelo 58 mins) O'Connor (Hutchinson 58 mins) Lazaridis